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IMPROMPTU cMAGIC 
WITH ^PATTER 

By 
GEORGE DeLAWRENCE 



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IMPROMPTU MAGIC 
With Patter 



Impromptu Magic 
with patter 



BY 

GEORGE DELAWRENGE 

With an Introduction by 
A. M. WILSON, M.D. 

Illustrated by 
HARLAN TARBELL 




CHICAGO 

T. S. DENISON & COMPANY 

Publishers 



.1745* 



COPYRIGHT, 1922 

<By 
T. S. DENISON & COMPANY 

MADE IN U. S. A. 



Impromptu Magic, With Patter 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 
WITH PATTER 



CONTENTS. 

■ PAGE 

Introduction 7 

Author's Preface 9 

The Possessed Match Head 13 

The Penetrating Match 14 

The Disappearing Match Heads 16 

The Penetrating Quarter 18 

Coin and Glass of Water 20 

The Travelling Coins 22 

Four Coin Trick 26 

Coins Out of Hat 28 

The Haunted Coin 29 

Dime and Penny Trick 32 

The Red, The White or The Blue 36 

Swallowing a Knife 38 

The Disappearing Glass 39 

Torn and Restored Paper Napkin 40 

Thought Foretold 44 

Parlor Mind Reading 48 

Unsight, Unseen 51 

The Fortune-Telling Jack 54 

The Card to the Pocket 57 

The Guesser 59 

The Lemon and Dollar Bill Trick 63 

Burlesque Mind Reading 68 

Body and Hat Loading 72 

Palming 75 

5 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

WITH PATTER 



INTRODUCTION 

Nature is not alone in abhorring a vacuum. The 
literature of magic is sadly lacking in the initiatory 
stage of the foundation principles of the simple de- 
ceptions that really deceive without apparently 
doing so. 

At the dinner table, the parlor gathering, the 
impromptu meeting of friends at a neighbor's, do 
you know of any book or pamphlet on magic that 
fills the bill? 

Well, Impromptu Magic, with Pattee, does 
that very thing, and does it satisfactorily. The 
author, George DeLawrence, has been a society enter- 
tainer for many years, has learned the in's and out's 
of the whims and exacting demands of social affairs, 
and knows how to meet them with just the thing 
that fills the gap and prevents the ennui of what 
promised to be a dull time at the gathering satiated 
with music, song and cards. Magic is an art that 
sometimes instructs, often amuses and always en- 
tertains. 

The Commercial Traveler, the Book Agent, the 
Insurance Solicitor, in fact any man who finds it 
difficult to interest a "prospect," will find many 
things in this book that will help to land a sale or 
secure an order. For the first principle in dealing 
with another is to gain attention and arouse inter- 
est. Nothing will accomplish this end quicker than 

7 



8 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

will an impromptu trick, done with seeming uncon- 
sciousness of having done anything. 

Many books and booklets on patter, numerous 
works, little and big, on magic, have been published. 
But not until this work of DeLawrence has there 
been one that covered both, and with material that 
anyone of reasonable intelligence could use success- 
fully and satisfactorily. 

Having read the manuscript I congratulate the 
author on his wise selection of tricks and on the 
sensible and appropriate patter accompanying them. 
The fortunate purchaser is also to be congratulated, 
for he will have a veritable mine and inexhaustible 
storehouse of material that will prove a boon and 
blessing in time of need, and thus will be able to 
prove himself an entertainer who actually entertains. 

A. M. Wilson, M. D. 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 
WITH PATTER 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

You will pardon, I trust, this somewhat lengthy 
preface to Impromptu Magic, with Patter. In 
covering a field that has been sadly neglected by 
most writers on magic and sleight-of-hand, this de- 
tail has been gone into for your own benefit, that at 
the end of the book you not only may know how the 
various tricks are accomplished, but will be able to 
present them yourself. 

The author as a boy was naturally backward, due 
mostly to fact that he could neither sing, play a 
musical instrument, nor otherwise "perform." Hence 
at social gatherings he was, more or less, what is 
termed a "wallflower." Chance brought a copy of 
a magic dealer's catalogue into his hands. He in- 
vested in some apparatus and spent long hours in 
secret practice, with the result that thereafter he had 
a diversion to offer at parties and various social 
gatherings ; and, instead of remaining a "wallflower," 
he became a much talked-of entertainer. 

I realize that many young people are in the same 
position today. Magic is an art that is always in- 
teresting, will make you a welcome guest at any 
social function, and, with proper practice, may also 
be the means of your earning a fair recompense as 
an entertainer. Therefore this book of off-hand 
tricks — with complete explanations and instructions, 
illustrations of the various moves, and the necessary 

9 



K) IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

"patter," or talk to cover — has been prepared for 
your benefit. 

First, I am going to tell you the basis of all 
magic, be it the smallest pocket trick or the largest 
stage illusion. That is misdirection ; in other words, 
deceiving the eye into believing it sees certain things 
which actually are not so. The hand is not quicker 
than the eye, but it can easily deceive that optic. For 
illustration: Take a coin in the left hand, place it 
once or twice in the right hand, then, instead of plac- 
ing it in the right hand, retain it in the left, dropping 
this hand carelessly to your side, while the right hand 
closes the fingers as if containing the coin and is 
raised above your head. Every eye will follow the 
right hand. That is your deception, the basis of 
magic ; or, as I have termed it, misdirection. 

A word as to practice. Even the most simple 
tricks should be practiced several times until you are 
sure of yourself, so that you can go right ahead and 
perform the trick without hesitating or fumbling. 
The difference between the raw performer and fin- 
ished performer is this: The former does not know 
what he is going to do, while the latter knows just 
what he is going to do. There are no tricks ex- 
plained here that require any degree of trained dex- 
terity, or more than an hour's practice. Considering 
that card and coin experts and other exponents of 
the art of magic spend years in practice, you will 
appreciate more the value of the tricks or effects ex- 
plained herein, some of which are even more startling 
than those requiring considerable skill. 

You have, no doubt, often noticed an amateur 
magician who perhaps was able to accomplish the 
work he set out to do, but made a miserable attempt 



WITH PATTER 11 

in his presentation talk> or what the professional 
calls "patter." This is the hardest and most difficult 
part of his "turn" or "act." It has proved the 
stumbling block for more than one aspiring and 
otherwise clever magician. So I have added this fea- 
ture, a short, snappy talk to cover each trick, in order 
that, after you have learned the moves of execution, 
you may at once be in position to present the effect 
before a gathering and present it in a manner that 
will be a credit to you. 

Half the battle is won when you know you are 
right, for then nervousness and "stage fright" should 
be of short duration. However, don't lose hope if 
you get nervous the first two or three times you en- 
deavor to work before an audience. Even the most 
hardened professional went through the same agony, 
and this bugaboo sometimes returns to haunt him 
in later years, such as on opening nights, or at the 
first presentation of a new act. 

While this volume of simplified magic is intended 
for the beginner who wishes to achieve sleight-of-hand 
effects without being obliged to spend much time in 
study and practice, it is hoped that the book will be 
of interest and value to my fellow professionals as 
well. 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 
WITH PATTER 



THE POSSESSED MATCH HEAD. 

Three heads of paper matches appear in this trick, 
or in lieu thereof, three pieces of dough, or bits of 
rolled-up tissue paper. To the spectators, three 
heads are used. In reality you have four heads, one 
being 1 concealed at the base of the fingers on the right 
hand, between the first and the second fingers. 

The heads are laid on the table. Then one is picked 
up by the right hand and placed in the left, which 
immediately closes, thereby keeping the match head 
from view. A second head is likewise picked up by 
the right hand, and, when placing it in left, the con- 
cealed head is allowed to drop with it into the left 
hand which immediately closes as before. Three 
heads are now in the left hand, which the audience 
thinks contains but two. 

Pick up the third and last head from the table with 
the right hand. You apparently throw it under the 
table or off to one side, but in reality this head is 
held between first and second fingers near their tips, 
the thumb aiding in getting it into this position. 

The match heads in the left hand are thrown on 
the table, showing three therein, and making it ap- 
pear that the discarded head has joined the first two 
in the left hand. 

You can repeat the operation, actually throwing 
away the last head this time. Then, if you desire 
to repeat again, have concealed in the wrinkles of the 

13 



14 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

trousers, above the knees (if seated at table), one 
or two similar match heads, which can be easily ob- 
tained by the right hand as the left throws the three 
heads out on the table. 

The Patter: 

I have here, ladies and gentlemen, three little 
match heads, which you see are very ordinary, no 
strings, threads nor magnets being attached. I 
want you to count them carefully — one (place in left 
hand), two (place in left hand), and here is number 
three, which we will discard under the table. ( Throw 
away.) But strange to say, it hops right back to 
its friends, and here we have one, two, three. (Throw 
on table.) For the benefit of those who were not 
paying attention, I will once more demonstrate this 
painless operation. Three match heads; number one; 
here is number two, and number three goes on the 
floor. But before you can wink an eyelash, here he 
is — three. Mr. seems skeptical, so to con- 
vince him that it is not the contents of any bottle 
that causes this match to hop, here goes again. 
Number one; here is number two, and number three 
actually is thrown across the room, but instantly — 
here he is. One, two, three. 



THE PENETRATING MATCH. 

Either matches or toothpicks can be used in this 
experiment. The toothpicks are better, as there is 
less solid matter to grasp between the fingers. If the 
picks are too long, break them off to a size that can 
be easily handled. 



WITH PATTER 



15 



The effect is as follows: A toothpick is held be- 
tween the first finger and the thumb of both the 
right and the left hands. Then, bringing the hands 
quickly together, they are caused apparently to pass 
through each other, being interlocked as shown in 
Figure 1. 




FIGURE 



The secret is : The toothpick in the right hand is 
not held between the thumb and first finger alone, but 
is grasped by the first and second fingers so that it 
can be held by these fingers when the thumb is drawn 
away. You make two motions of the hands, bringing 
them close together, and on the third motion, re- 
lease the thumb of the right hand, bringing the tooth- 
pick a short distance away from the thumb, as in 
Figure 2, the free end going down inside of the stick 





FIGURE 2 



held in the left hand. The instant they have passed 
the thumb comes against the free end, as in Figure 1 , 
causing a perfect optical illusion. 



\6 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

It will take several minutes' practice to get the 
movements down so that the hands work in harmony, 
but when this is accomplished with the hands in mo- 
tion, the bringing away of the thumb cannot be seen 
even under a spectator's very eyes. 

To bring the toothpick out, simply reverse the 
movements, finishing with the hands separated a foot 
or more. 

The Patter: 

An after-dinner dessert — toothpicks — generally 
furnished by chop houses free of charge. {Show 
toothpicks.) 

You will notice I have one in my right hand ; also 
one in my only remaining hand. Nothing peculiar 
about that. However, what I am going to do is very 
peculiar ; something that was shown to me by an old 
Indian, Prince Bon Ami by name. 

By moving the hands quickly together, on the 
third movement one toothpick, invisibly and without 
leaving a trace, penetrates the other — like that. It's 
a poor rule that won't work both ways. So when 
you desire to get the toothpick out, simply reverse 
your count — three, two, one — and there, the dirty 
work is done. (Repeat if desired.) 



THE DISAPPEARING MATCH HEADS. 

Two flat paper matches are exhibited in the right 
hand. The left hand passes over them and the 
heads disappear. Another motion and they again 
appear, in both cases the two sides being shown with 
or without heads, as the case may be. 

The actual operation is caused, in the first in- 



WITH PATTER 17 



stance, by previously shaving off the head on one 
side of each match. To show both sides with heads, 
hold the matches between first finger and thumb about 
level with your waist, so that the shaved sides of 
the matches cannot be seen. Then bring the hand 
upward with a quick motion, at the same time giving 
the matches one turn sidewise by rolling them be- 
tween your fingers. The upward motion should be 
made with an inward curve, so that when the hand 
stops the heads of the matches are pointing toward 
the body. Thus, while you have appeared to turn 
the matches over but once, you have given them also 
a sideways turn, so the same side appears to view as 
at first, and the under side is again out of sight. You 
have apparently shown both sides of an ordinary 
match. Now bring the hands back down to the first 
position, again twisting the matches between the fing- 
ers, and the heads are again in view. To cause the 
heads to disappear, pass the left hand over the 
matches, and under this cover give them a side turn 
with the right hand, bringing the shaved sides to 
view. The upward movement may be made without 
turning the matches, if it is desired to show the 
opposite side. It will be seen that by following 
these movements the matches may be shown at will, 
either with or without heads. 

The same trick may be done with paper matches 
which have printing on one side, making them appear 
plain or printed on both sides. 

The patter is written for this effect. 

The Patter: 

Most of you are familiar with the shrewdness of the 
Hebrew race and what wonderful salesmen they are. 



18 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

The other day I witnessed the most clever piece of 
selling ability that so far has come to my notice. 

This salesman was selling matches — ordinary pa- 
per matches like these two. He was explaining to his 
customers the advantage of advertising, saying his 
firm would print his ad on one side of the match, as 
is customary with these articles. Another person 
standing by spoke up and said: "Veil, I vould puy 
some of your matches, but I vant my ad on both 
sides." The salesman, nothing daunted, said : "That's 
easy, just pass your hands over these matches, and 
there you are. Advertising on this side, also on the 
reverse side." Another fellow butted in, saying: "I 
could use some, but I don't want any advertising at 
all." Up spoke the salesman again: "That's the 
beauty of our matches. If you want the match to be 
entirely blank, pass the hand in the other direction. 
Nothing on this side, likewise nothing on this side." 
The first customer spoke up: "That is certainly a 
most wonderful match, but for myself, I'd like to have 
the advertising on one side." "Fair enough," said 
the salesman. "Move the hand downward, and 
there is your wish. An ad on this side, the other per- 
fectly blank." I might say that he sold a heap of 
matches. 



THE PENETRATING QUARTER. 

This is to be performed while seated at a table. 

To get the best effect, three quarters or half dol- 
lars are used. One quarter is concealed in the palm 
of the right hand, which in conjuring parlance is 
termed "palming." It will be found a simple mat- 
ter to hold a quarter in the hand without cramping 



WITH PATTER 19 

it to a noticeable degree. The two visible quarters 
are laid on the table, about five or six inches from the 
edge. The performer picks up one coin with the 
right hand, which holds the palmed coin, of course 
not allowing the palm of the hand to be seen. The 
right hand is placed under the table and the left at 
the same time picks up the remaining coin. Now 
take this last coin, snap it down on the table and 
keep it covered with the fingers of the left hand, 
while the right hand under the table drops the quarter 
from finger tips into palm, causing the two to click. 
Bring up the right hand with the two quarters and 
throw them out on the table. At the same time the 
left hand, with a quick but natural jerk, snaps the 
coin off the table, allowing it to drop into your lap. 
You have apparently caused one quarter to pass 
down through the table top, joining the one pre- 
viously held there. 

If you experience any difficulty in palming the 
quarter, place it, unknown to the audience, on your 
knee instead of palming it. Go through the above 
routine, picking up quarter on your knee when the 
right hand goes under the table, and drop it into the 
palm at the right moment. 

The Patter: 

Here is a little trick shown me by a Chinese friend 
of mine, my laundryman ; by name, Wun Bum Lung. 
When I saw it performed it was done with Chinese 
coins — "cash," I believe they call them. I started to 
buy some, but found the freight on two-bits' worth 
amounted to $11.34, so I experimented with quarters 
and finally accomplished the seemingly impossible. 

This Chink took two coins and laid them on the 



20 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

table, as I am doing. Then he picked up one and 
held it under the table, right below the remaining 
coin, which he took and snapped like this. At the 
same time he sang out : "Chow, Chow, Chow Mein." 
And — would you believe it ? The coin penetrated the 
table. When he brought out his right hand the two 
were together, just like that. Marvelous, isn't it? 



COIN AND GLASS OF WATER. 

This effect requires a little skill, but the biggest as- 
set is plenty of nerve. 

The effect : A dime or other small coin is placed 
on the table, a playing card laid over it, and this in 
turn covered by a fedora or soft hat. The audience 
is asked which shall appear, heads or tails? 

No matter which the choice may be, the hat and 
card are lifted and the experiment is then tried again. 
You will probably fail, so you say you will cause the 
coin to pass through the top of the table. Then when 
the hat is lifted your audience sees on the table, in- 
stead of the coin, a glass partly filled with water. 

This is performed while you stand at a small 
table, with the audience standing all around you, and 
here is where the value of misdirection is appreciated. 

Just before you perform this trick, secretly pro- 
cure an ordinary drinking glass and fill it, half-way 
or a little more, with water or any other liquid. Then 
place the glass under the vest so that its base rests 
against the top of the trousers. The glass will easily 
stay in this position and you need have no fear of 
dropping it out, nor is the bulge noticeable. 

Borrow a soft hat and lay it on the table. Bor- 
row a coin and place it on the table and cover it 



WITH PATTER 21 

with a card. Over these place the hat and ask some- 
one to call "heads" or "tails." Generally the request 
will be opposite to what appeared when the coin was 
placed. Lift the hat with the right hand, bringing it 
to a natural position against the body at the waist- 
line, where the glass reposes. Have someone lift 
the card. If the coin is not as called for, say that 
something went wrong, and make excuses ; or if cor- 
rect, say you will try it again anyway, and repeat the 
covering and uncovering with card and hat. Once 
more bring the hat to the waist line. When the 
party starts to lift the card, all eyes are naturally 
focused on the table, and this gives you ample op- 
portunity to secure the glass with your left hand, 
place underneath the hat and grasp it with the right 
hand through the top of the hat, all unnoticed. 

This time take up the coin with the left hand, and 
lay hat and glass on the table. Do not drop it so as 
to make a noise, but dent in the top of the hat if 
necessary to hold the glass. The coin in the left hand 
is apparently placed in the right which at once makes 
a throwing motion under the table. Lift the hat with 
your left hand and there is your glass of water, on 
the table. This trick is sure to cause a lot of sur- 
prise and favorable comment. 

The Patter: 

I was talking the other day to a magician who 
showed me what wonderful control he had over coins. 
So this evening, for your edification, it is with pleas- 
ure I repeat one given me in strict confidence. 

Will some soft gentleman lend me his hat? Pardon 
me, I mean will some gentleman lend me a soft hat? 
Any kind at all. This one is entirely satisfactory. 



22 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

My next request is going to be harder to grant. Some- 
one please let me have a dime. Yes, I'll give it back. 
I thank you. The dime I will place on the table, cov- 
ering it with the playing card (or a calling card will 
answer the purpose), over which goes the hat. 

Now, then, if you will tell me which you desire, 
heads or tails, the coin will obey my command and 
appear in that position. Heads? Heads it shall be. 
(Lift up the hat yourself.) Kindly raise the card. 
Heads, that is correct. Once more, you will notice it 
is now heads. Over it goes the card, and then the 
hat. What is your pleasure this time? Tails? Very 
well, tails it shall be. Please lift the card. (Get your 
glass of water.) What is it? Heads? Something 
went wrong this time, I fear. I'll try it in a different 
manner, causing the coin to pass up through the table. 
What do you want this time? Heads? Very well, it 
must be heads. Lift the hat and see if I am not cor- 
rect. (The glass of water is found, which concludes 
the experiment.) 



THE TRAVELLING COINS. 

This is based on the principle of the old cups and 
balls and the three-shell game. 

The effect: Four nickels or pennies are placed 
seven or eight inches apart in the form of a square on 
a cloth-covered table as in Figure 3. 

Two playing cards or other similar pieces of stiff 
paper are placed over coins one and two. Coin three 
is taken in the right hand and apparently pushed up 
through the table. On lifting the card that was 
over coin one, two coins are found there, as in the 
arrangement shown in Figure 4. Coin four is next 



WITH PATTER 



23 



taken and likewise appears to penetrate the table, so 
that three coins assemble in number one position. The 



© 



© 



® 







FIGURE 3 



last coin is then caused invisibly to congregate with 
the others, all four being found finally under the first 
card. 

The method: The four coins are placed first as 
shown in the diagram; two cards are exhibited, one 



. 






•1 ) 












/*!> 






(2) 






*..»' 







(D 







FIGURE 4 

being held in each hand. Cover coins one and two, 
calling attention to the fact that two coins are cov- 
ered and that two remain in view. Now lift the cards 
from coins one and two, and cover coins number three 
and four. Then move the cards back from three to 
one and from four to two, but as you place the card 



24 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 



over coin two the right hand picks up the coin and 
holds it with the tips of the fingers against the under- 
side of the card. (Figure 5 shows the method.) 




FIGURE 5 

Practice these moves until they can be made without 
awkwardness. Do not look at the right hand when 
executing the move. 

With coin two held under card in the right hand, 
the left hand, with card, moves away from coin num- 
ber one, and is brought over the right hand so that 
it exactly covers the card in that hand. The right 
hand with coin two under the card then moves away, 
the left hand instantly dropping its card and appar- 
ently covering coin two, which is really held under the 
card in the right hand. This card in the right hand 
is now placed over coin one, the concealed coin two be- 
ing allowed to drop as the card touches the table, but 
care should be taken to see that the two coins do not 
hit each other, which would cause them to "talk." 

Your audience is now under the impression that 
a coin reposes under each card, while actually coins 
one and two are in number one position, while there 
is no coin in number two position. (See again 
Figure 4.) 

Now openly pick up coin three with the right hand 



WITH PATTER 25 

and place it underneath the table. During this move 
drop it into the left hand, which is also held below 
the level of the table. The right hand under the table 
snaps its finger against the wood and is brought out 
empty. Pick up the card in number one position 
with the right hand, while the left hand below the 
table is getting the coin to the tips of the first and 
second fingers. When the card in number one po- 
sition is lifted, two coins are shown to be under it, 
and the card is then passed from the right hand to 
the left, which takes the card, keeping the coin con- 
cealed thereunder. With the left hand the card is re- 
placed in number one position, the third coin being 
dropped, secretly, alongside of the other two. 

Repeat the same operation with coin four, which 
will apparently bring three coins in position number 
one, whereas four are actually in that spot. Tap 
the card in position two, lift and show that the fourth 
coin has disappeared and has joined the others under 
the card in position number one. 

The Patter: 

Most of you are familiar with these coins — nickels 
or "jitneys" — but I am going to convince you that 
they are possessed of peculiar characteristics. Mak- 
ing a square of the round nickels I will again call 
your attention to the fact that there are four — four 
and no more; also that these are two very ordinary 
playing cards. By covering these two coins, two are 
still in sight. Likewise if I cover these two, the 
former are in view. No matter which two are hid- 
den, two always remain where you can keep your 
eyes on them. 

I will take this coin, place it under the table and 
cause it to instantly and invisibly pass right through 



26 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

said table and join the coin already there. Of 
course some of you are undoubtedly skeptical, but you 
see I'm telling the truth. Two coins are really there. 
I'll try it again, and want you to keep your eyes on 
me very closely. Here is the coin. Under the table 
it goes — one, two, three — and here it is with the 
other two, leaving one more coin under this card. But 
to show you how square and fair I am, this coin will 
be caused to vanish and join the others right in plain 
sight. (Tap the card.) It has already done so, as I 
presume most of you are aware, for you see here are 
the four coins all together. 



FOUR COIN TRICK. 



The effect: A penny is placed in the palm of the 
right hand and another in the left hand. The hands 
are then closed, and palms turned upward. One of 
the audience lays another penny on the ends of the 
closed fingers of each hand. With a throwing mo- 





FIGURE 6 

tion, and turning the hands downward, one penny is 
caused to transfer, invisibly, to the other hand, so 
that the left hand, when opened, is found to contain 
three coins, and but one remains in the right. 

The method: Four pennies, or similar coins, are 
placed as described and shown in Figure 6. When the 
hands are turned over the left hand opens and grasps 



WITH PATTER 27 

the outside penny with the finger tips, so that the 
two are held in that closed hand. But when the 
right hand turns, it opens and drops on the table the 
penny in the palm as well as the one on the finger 
tips, so that the coins are located as shown in 
Figure 7. 





FIGURE 7 

To the audience it now appears that the pennies 
which rested on the finger tips of both hands fell on 
the table. Remark that the trick did not work, and 
again request one of the audience to place the pennies 
on the finger tips as before. Hold the hands far 
apart and quickly turn them over, opening the fingers 
sufficiently to grasp the coins with the finger tips and 
pull them inside the fists. When the hands are now 
opened the left hand holds three coins and the right 
hand one, yet the audience has not seen how the coin 
was passed from one hand to the other. 

The Patter: 

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a cheap trick. I use 
pennies — four of them — thereby making it a four- 
cent trick. 

One penny I will place in my right hand and one in 
my left hand, which is half the trick. The other two 



28 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

pennies I wish you would place on the ends of my 
fingers, one on each hand. I thank you. 

Watch me closely, and remember: The closer you 
watch the less you see. {Turn hands and drop coins.) 
Pardon me, my mistake. It didn't work that time. 
Would you mind replacing the pennies once more on 
my finger tips? 

Again. Watch closer. {Turn.) It is done, and I 
doubt very much if you saw that penny travel from 
the right hand to the left. But, anyway, as Shakes- 
peare says : "It is did." There is the one lone cent 
{open left hand), the other little rascal being over 
here where there was more cents {open right hand), 
It's really a nonsensical trick. 



COINS OUT OF HAT. 



Use four, five or more coins, of the same denomina- 
tion but with different dates. Place them all in a hat 
and mix them up. Turn your back, requesting that a 
coin be removed, the date noted, and the coin then re- 
placed in the hat. You take out the coins one at a 
time and hand over the selected one. 

The secret is very simple. When a coin is removed 
from the hat and held in the hand it becomes warm. 
You can easily pick out the warm coin from the 
others, which will feel cold in comparison. Pick the 
coins from the hat one at a time, until you feel the 
warm one. This ingenious little trick can be repeated 
many times without fear of detection. 

The Patter: 

I would like to get a half-dozen or more nickels {or 
quarters) of different dates. I want to convince you 
that the influence I hold over coins is genuine. By 



WITH PATTER 29 



the way, the coins will be returned to you in a few 
moments. 

We will place them all together in a hat and mix 

them up. While I turn my back I will ask Mrs. 

to remove one of those coins from the hat. Hold it 
tightly, so I cannot see it in any way. You have the 
coin all right? Now look at the date quickly. You 
have observed the date? Then drop it into the hat 
and shake it to mix up the coins. (Begin picking up 
the coins and when you feel the warm one, stop.) Do 
you remember the date of the coin you looked at 

Mrs. ? This is it — the one you chose. Just 

try it again, and I will convince you that my picking 
out the chosen coin was not an accident. 



THE HAUNTED COIN. 

This is, in a way, a spiritualistic effect, patterned 
after the rapping hand, which answered questions 
through the code of spiritism; that is, rapping once 
for "yes," twice for "no," and three times for "doubt- 
ful" or "I do not know." It requires some secret 
preparation, but the resultant fun is worth the 
trouble. 

Procure an ordinary drinking glass. Place in it a 
metal washer to which is tied a length of black silk 
thread. Cut a piece of writing paper in a circular 
disk slightly larger than the top of the glass, punch a 
small hole in the center, and run the end of the thread 
through this hole. Paste the paper on the top of the 
glass, which will prevent the washer from being 
pulled out. The glass can then be placed inside the 
trousers at the back, or a special holder can be made 
to secure it there. It may be fastened to the back 



30 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 



of the trousers at the waist. By jerking the thread 
the washer can be caused to rattle in the glass, an- 
swering questions with one, two, or three clinks 
or rattles, as desired. To work the washer 
any of the following three methods may be 
adopted. First: Run the free end of the 
thread off to an assistant, who at the right moment 
pulls the thread ; or, second : Run it down into right- 
hand trousers pocket, with the end fastened to a 
piece of cardboard, in order that the thread can be 




GLASS CONCEALED^ 

in pocket of 
Trousers 

FIGURE 8 



easily found and will not get away from you. In 
this case it is necessary to work with your hand in 
your pocket ; or, third : Use a thimble painted black, 
to which is soldered a small hook, allowing the thim- 
ble to be attached to trouser leg, the thread being 
tied to the hook, as in Figure 8. When the proper 
time arrives the finger can be inserted in the thimble, 
and by a slight movement of the hand the necessary 



WITH PATTER 11 

raps or rattles are caused. The thread will have to 
be measured to fit the working method that you 
prefer. 

The trick is worked as follows: A glass and a 
coin are borrowed or picked up from the table, the 
coin is thrown in the glass, and the glass is then 
covered with a handkerchief. Various questions are 
asked, and the effect is that the coin in the unpre- 
pared glass rattles the answer. 

This is best worked when seated at a table. But, 
if you are standing, see that you are at one end of 
the room with the audience all in front of you. 

The coin in the glass being covered with a hand- 
kerchief, the fact that it does not move is unknown to 
your audience, as is the presence of the concealed 
glass and coin. They hear the coin behind you, but 
they naturally assume that it is the coin in the glass 
in your hand, which necessarily is held perfectly still 
to preclude a suspicion that the rattle is caused by 
your jerking the glass. 

A similar experiment can be made by having the 
glass fastened to the back of a piano, etc., a string 
leading off into another room where your assistant is 
located. Of course you should keep the displayed 
glass in close proximity to the hidden glass, so that 
the noise comes from the proper locality. 

The Patter: 

Often have I witnessed the feats of various spirit- 
ualists, especially their supposed communication with 
some astral personage. Generally these manifesta- 
tions took place in the dark, or the knocks were re- 
ceived on a table some distance away. But I am go- 
ing to give you a demonstration along these lines, 
here in this room, with you in close proximity to me. 



32 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

There shall be no darkness, and the articles are very 
ordinary ones — a small glass, a coin and a handker- 
chief, and I'm ready for work. 

If anybody would like to ask questions I will en- 
deavor to have my control, "Bull Durham," answer 
for you, using the regular code in vogue with spirit- 
ualists. That is, one rattle for "yes," two for "no," 
and three rattles for "I do not know," or "doubtful." 

(Endeavor to be humorous, and if persons are back- 
ward in asking questions, make them up yourself. For 
instance, pick out some young unmarried lady.) 
Is this lady married? (Two rattles.) No. Would 
she like to be married? (One rattle.) Yes. In the 
near future? (One rattle.) Yes. How many chil- 
dren will she have? (Keep on rattling a dozen times 
or so. Go on asking questions, and answer them as 
meets the situation.) 



DIME AND PENNY TRICK. 

The effect : A person places a dime in his hand and 
closes it tightly. You offer to bet that the dime is 
there, or that it is not there. Have him open his 
hand and the dime still remains. Try it again. This 




FIGURE 9 



time he will probably be willing to bet almost any- 
thing that the dime is grasped tightly in his fist, but 
on opening it, instead of a dime a penny is found. 



WITH PATTER - 33 



The customary method for performing this effect 
requires skill and hard practice, but it has been sim- 
plified herein so that anyone, with a little patience 
and an hour or two of practice, can procure the same 
result as when more difficult sleights are performed. 

The method. At the start of your experiment you 
secretly have a penny grasped between the tips of the 
first and second fingers, as in Figure 9, just 
enough of the penny being grasped by the fingers to 
insure its being held. The hand is always kept with 
the palm down, or with the palm toward yourself, so 
that the presence of the penny will not be noticed. 
Borrow a dime from your prospective victim, taking 
it in the hand other than the one containing the 
penny. Transfer it to the latter hand, taking it with 
the tips of first finger and thumb. 




FIGURE 10 

Request him to open his hand, lay the dime therein, 
making this move after the manner shown in Figure 
10, and immediately cover it with the thumb of the 
hand holding the penny. Ask him to close his hand. 
See Figure 11. 

When he has done this, draw out your thumb.. 
Inquire if he thinks he still has the dime. Then ask 
him to open his hand. Of course the dime is still there. 
Pick up the dime and request that his hand be dried. 

Here you exchange the dime for the penny. This 
is the only hard part of the trick, and these moves 



34 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 



should be carefully practiced. When he starts to wipe 
his hand, pick up the dime with your hand containing 
the penny, taking it with the tips of first finger and 
thumb. Move the thumb up over the dime, drawing 




FIGURE 11 

it along the first finger until it gets past the con- 
cealed penny, then allowing it to drop into the palm 
of the hand. The thumb comes back over the penny, 
covering it from view, and the "switch" has been 
made. 

The penny is now resting against the first finger, 
covered with the thumb, just where you held the dime 
a moment ago. Place it in the palm of your friend's 




FIGURE 12 



hand, all the time keeping it from view and imme- 
diately requesting that his hand be closed. As you 
previously placed a dime therein, and as he thinks 
your intention is to get the coin away from him, 



WITH PATTER 35 

he will naturally think the dime is in his hand be- 
cause he feels a coin there (Figure 12). 

Unless of a very skeptical or knowing nature, he 
will undoubtedly bet anything under the sun that he 
still has the dime in his hand. The author has 
worked this trick a thousand or more times and can 
safely say that over ninety per cent of the victims 
"bit." The fact that they may be aware of an old 
trick similar to this, but worked differently, will also 
add to the surprise. 

The Patter: 

This is a slick dime and sometimes it's "slicker." I 
want to show you a little experiment — one that you 
can try out on the wife when you get home. 

Kindly hold out your hand, and I will place the 
dime in the middle of your palm. Close your hand 
around my thumb. That's right — but not quite so 
tight. Leave me a little room to work. Here we go 
— one, two, three (jerk out thumb). Would you be 
willing to bet, sir, that you still have the dime? I 
wouldn't want to take your money. And to tell the 
truth, I sometimes fail. Just open your hand. You 
still have it, I see. Your hand is a little moist. Would 
you mind wiping it with your handkerchief? (Pick 
up dime and make "switch") That is better. Again, 
close your hand over the dime. Are you ready ? Once 
again — one, two, three. This time will you bet you 
still have the dime ? ( You can work up the discussion 
as much as the occasion permits, and then:) Well, I 
know you're mistaken. Let me see the dime. (He 
finds a penny, not a dime, and you win.) 



36 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 



THE RED, THE WHITE OR THE BLUE. 

The effect: Three paper washers or discs with 
holes in the center of each — one red, one white and 




"Red 



®o 



White 
FIGURE 13 



Blue 



one blue — are shown, and are strung on a piece of 
ordinary twine. One end of the twine is given to 
some member of the audience and the opposite end to 
another. The performer places a handkerchief over 
the washers, hiding them from view (see Figure 14), 



■^-y 




FIGURE 14 

and requests that one of the colors be freely selected. 
Placing his hand underneath the handkerchief, he re- 
moves and brings out this colored washer, which is 
not mutilated in any way, and only two washers of 
the remaining colors are found on the string. 

The method: The three paper washers are 
threaded in an ordinary manner. There are no false 
turns of the string, and each party actually holds one 



WITH PATTER 37 

end. When the performer reaches in his pocket to get 
his handkerchief he takes out, at the same time, three 
similar paper washers, concealing them in the palm of 
his hand. These washers in the pocket are in a known 
order as to color. For instance, red one on top, white 
in the middle and blue underneath. Before covering 
the three on the string, he makes a mental note of the 
relative positions of the three colors. Now, when a 
color is chosen, all the performer does is to pull off 
this desired one from the string under cover of the 
handkerchief, conceal it in his hand and push up the 
duplicate washer of the same color, which he shows as 
the one removed. When the handkerchief is taken off, 
the unused duplicates and the torn washer can be 
placed in the pocket at the same time the handker- 
chief is stowed away. The trick is easy, but the effect 
is puzzling. 

The Patter : 

With your approval, ladies and gentlemen, I am 
going to show you something that will cause you to 
think an escape artist is present. I call it "The Mys- 
tery of the Paper Washers," or "How Does He Do 
It ?" Here are three paper washers. For the benefit 
of those who are color-blind I will say that this one is 
red, this one blue and the third white — colors I know 
you are all familiar with. Exhibit number two is a 
piece of twine such as is used to wrap packages. Don't 
misunderstand me — not a package like the husbands 
brought home from the club. These three washers I 
shall thread on a string, asking that you hold one 
end, and you the opposite end, which is the only one 
left. Over goes the handkerchief, for two reasons. 
The spirits won't work without darkness; and, sec- 



38 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 



ondly — also the main reason — I don't want you to 
see how I do it. 

Somebody please select one of those colors. Red? 
Red it shall be. Here it is, the red washer, which you 
will find is not damaged in the slightest degree. Re- 
maining on the string, of course, are the white and 
blue washers. Thank you. But — you fellows hold- 
ing the string — don't tell the rest how it is done. 



SWALLOWING A KNIFE. 

This little illusion should be performed while seated 
at a table, with a napkin on your lap to prevent the 
knife falling to the floor. I would not advocate its 
exhibition where ladies are present, but this is left 
to your own judgment. 

The effect : The performer places an ordinary din- 
ner knife so that it rests in his two hands as shown in 




FIGURE 15 



Figure 15. The point is placed in his mouth, and the 
knife apparently is completely swallowed. 

The method : The first time the knife is placed to 
the mouth the performer makes a wry face as though 
he were afraid to try it. He lowers his hands level 
with the table. Slightly tipping them toward him- 
self he allows the knife to fall into his lap. The hands 
are kept in exactly the same position as at first and 
are immediately placed again to the mouth and drawn 



WITH PATTER 39 



on down past it, which creates a perfect illusion of a 
knife being dropped down the throat. 

Do not look toward your hands when dropping the 
knife into the lap. Correctly presented, your facial 
contortions will misdirect your observers and the 
"get-away" is easy. 

This effect is performed without patter. 



THE DISAPPEARING GLASS. 

This is another experiment performed while seated 
at the dining room table. 

Lay a coin at the edge of the table ; place over it a 
plain drinking glass, mouth down, and around the 
glass twist a piece of newspaper, turning it tightly at 
the top so that it makes a close-fitting shell over the 
glass. 

Inquire as to what the coin shall be, heads or 
tails, and pick up the glass and paper to see whether 
it has obeyed the command. When removing the 
paper-covered glass draw it toward yourself to the 
edge of the table, and allow the glass to drop into 
your lap. The paper will keep the shape of the glass 
and can be placed down over the coin as before. Once 
more inquire the desire of the audience as to which 
side of the coin shall appear. Of course you will fail 
to cause a change. So you suddenly slap your hand 
down smartly on the paper, crushing it to the table. 
The host or hostess will probably draw a quick 
breath, and the disappearance of the glass will be a 
complete surprise. The glass can later be produced 
from under your coat. 



40 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

The Patter: 

Do you mind, madam, if I use this drinking glass ? 
It is all right with you in case something unforeseen 
happens? Here is an insignificant penny, with your 
drinking glass as a covering. For the glass, to pre- 
vent any deception, I shall make a covering also, 
using this piece of newspaper. Everything is in readi- 
ness. What shall that coin be, heads or tails ? Heads, 
you say? {Remove glass.) What is that? My luck 
has deserted me. Once more I shall try it — with, I 
hope, better luck. {Place paper shell over coin.) 
What is your pleasure this time? You still want 
heads? You have me again. No luck! {Smash 
paper.) 



TORN AND RESTORED PAPER NAPKIN. 

The effect: After tearing a small paper napkin 
into several strips it is wadded into a ball and, when 
unrolled, is found entirely restored. You volunteer 
to show how it is done, but the spectators are none 
the wiser after you have explained. 

Secretly prepare your table as follows : Roll up a 
paper napkin into a compact ball, which we will call 
"A," and over this spread another paper napkin 
which we will call "B," so that "A" is under the cor- 
ner of "B" that will be picked up by the right hand. 
At one side have a third napkin, "C," spread out, to 
one corner of which you have pasted still another 
rolled-up napkin, "D." You can place on your table 
a book, a cigar box, or any other article back of 
which you can drop the torn pieces, as hereafter ex- 



WITH PATTER 



41 



plained. Have a pencil, to be used as a wand, lying 
on the book. 

Start the experiment by picking up "A" and "B," 
eecretly getting "A" into the palm of the right 
hand so that the third and little fingers can curl 
around it and yet leave the first and second fingers 
free to perform various movements. 

Exhibit napkin "B" by holding it out in front of 
you, while you have "A" hidden in the right palm, as 
shown inFigurel6. Then tear "B" into several strips, 




FIGURE 16 



CoNCEALto Bali 
Held In Palm 
By Third anp 
Fourth Fingers 



and roll them up into a little wad, using both hands. 
As you appear to squeeze the wad more compactly, 
it is an easy matter to exchange the two balls under 
the cover of the hands, so that the torn pieces of "B" 
go into hiding in the palm and the whole napkin "A" 
replaces it in view at your finger tips. Pick up your 
pencil from the book, at the same time secretly drop- 
ping behind the book the torn wad "B." While at- 
tention is focused on "A," which is held with your 
left finger tips, pick up the pencil with your right 
hand, at the same time secretly dropping behind the 
book the torn wad "B." Wave the pencil over "A," 
replace the pencil on the book, slowly unroll "A," and 
the napkin appears to have been restored. 

Now you pretend to explain how you did it. Take 
"A" and roll it into a ball, while you explain about 




42 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

hiding an extra napkin, and openly place "A" in the 
left palm. Then pick up "C" by the corner to which 
"D" is attached, and tear it into several strips, always 
taking care that the presence of "D" is not revealed, 
and allowing "D" to remain on the last torn strip of 
"C." Bunch the torn pieces together with the "D," 
so the audience thinks you simply have a wad of torn 
strips, as is shown in Figure 17. Under cover of the 



Two Balls of Paper 
Held so as to Look Like 
One Ball 



FIGURE 17 



hands, secretly loosen "D" from the torn strips, 
which is easily done if the paste is not too heavy. Then 
secretly palm the torn bits of "C" in the right hand, 
substituting "D" at the finger tips. 

Pretend to show how the exchange is made, openly 
substituting "A" for "D" so that "D" goes into palm 
of left hand. Apparently you have exchanged the 
torn napkin for a whole one. In reality you exchange 
one whole one for another whole one, while the torn 
bits are hidden in the left hand. 

In reaching for your pencil, secretly drop the torn 
pieces of "C" just as you got rid of "B" the first 
time. Wave your wand over "A" which is held at the 
finger tips, then open "A" and show the napkin re- 
stored, which is just what the audience expected. 
Finally take "D" from the left palm and show that it 
also is a whole napkin, which is not at all what the 
audience expected, so you have fooled them again. 



WITH PATTER 43 

The Patter: 

This is a Chinese trick. It is called Chinese be- 
cause you use a Chinese paper napkin, like this. If 
you do it with a Japanese napkin, it is a Japanese 
trick. But in reality it is the invention of a South 
African head-hunter. I call it a ripping trick, be- 
cause I rip or tear the napkin into a number of strips 
or bits — two bits, four bits, and some small change — 
which I will proceed to ball up or roll into a ball. 
Sometimes I even ball up the trick. After getting 
this into an almost perfect sphere, I take my pencil, 
and wave it slowly over the torn scraps. Then, 
strange as it may seem, on unrolling it we find the 
little napkin wholly restored. 

I will admit that that was a rather foolish trick. 
Nothing to it, in fact. So I'll show you how to do 
it. Then you can go home and put one over on 
your mother-in-law. 

The napkin is very ordinary {show napkin "C"). 
Also, I really tore it up and rolled it into a ball. But 
here is where the dirty work comes in. All the time 
I had another whole napkin rolled up and concealed 
here between my fingers. {Roll "A" and put in left 
hand.) But of course I always kept the back of my 
hand toward you, so you thought it was empty. Then, 
when rolling it around I quickly changed the torn 
pieces for the whole napkin. Using a pencil for a 
magic wand {reach for it and drop "C") is all bunk, 
but it looks professional. Of course, after I waved 
the pencil it was a simple matter to unroll the whole 
napkin. ( Unroll "A". ) These pieces {showing "D") 
you can get rid of anyway you want. Sometimes 
they watch me too closely, and if you try it and find 
that that is the case, simply take the little ball of 



44 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

torn-up napkin, blow gently thereon, like this, and 
pronounce the words "Chow-Mein-Soo." Surpris- 
ing as it may seem, if you slowly unroll the ball of 
pieces you will find that they have all joined together 
(unroll "-D"), making a complete napkin, just as 
good as at the start. 



THOUGHT FORETOLD. 

This effect might be classified as a so-called psychic 
test. It is a trick used by spiritists and those en- 
gaged in what is commonly termed "thought trans- 
mission." It is an effect never before published in 
a book. If presented properly it will make a decided 
hit with any audience. 

The effect: The performer exhibits a small en- 
velope and a card. The audience sees him write 
several items, which he does not show. He then seals 
the card in the envelope. Various persons are freely 
chosen, or volunteers are called for, to assist the 
performer, who requests that they concentrate their 
thought when they are told to do so. They are asked 
to choose various words, which the performer says 
will be found already written on the card. At the 
conclusion of the test the card is removed from the 
envelope and the performer's statements are verified. 
He has apparently foretold their thoughts. 

Use an envelope about the size of a number two 
drug envelope, or other small size. To the face of 
the envelope, on the inside, you have secretly pasted a 
piece of red, non-smut, typewriter carbon paper, with 
the carbon side down, or facing the bottom of the en- 
velope. It should be short enough to allow the edge 



WITH PATTER 45 



of the envelope to be removed without exposing the 
carbon paper. 

The envelope is held aloft in the left hand, the in- 
side not being shown, but the blank card is freely 
passed for examination. Take from your pocket a 
red pencil and pretend to write upon the card, shield- 
ing it from the view of the audience as you write. In 
reality you do not write upon the card at all, but just 
make a pretense of so doing. Then insert the card, 
still blank, but apparently written on. The envelope 
is now sealed and held in the left hand. 

When the audience choose the words you make a 
note of each by writing them down on a loose slip of 
paper as they are called out. For convenience in 
writing, use a heavy piece of cardboard, or a mem- 
orandum pad, slightly larger than the envelope, as a 
support. 

After sealing the envelope lay it, with card side 
undermost, on the pad. Over the envelope lay a loose 
slip of paper for taking notes, so that the envelope 
rests under the memorandum slip apparently by acci- 
dent. In making the verification on memorandum 
pad use a number three black lead pencil. 

As you write on the light paper with the hard pen- 
cil this writing is transferred in red to the card en- 
closed in the envelope. So that while you are writing 
a certain item on the paper, apparently just for veri- 
fication, at the same time you are also transferring 
it to the blank card. See that you keep within the 
space of the envelope, and do not run your writing 
together on the card in the envelope. At the conclu- 
sion of the test lay the paper on the table, open the 
envelope and hand the card to one of the audience. 
You retain the envelope, which is crushed between the 
hands and dropped carelessly into your pocket. 



46 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

The Patter: 

Ladies and gentlemen: For your amusement and 
entertainment I would like to show you a test in psy- 
chic phenomena, demonstrating that such a thing as 
"thought transmission" actually exists, and that un- 
der proper conditions it is obtainable amongst any 
of us. The only stipulation made is that you remain 
silent, in order not to disturb the subconscious minds 
of those taking part in the test. 

Here are a small envelope and a plain blank card. 
On this card, unknown to any of you, I shall write 
certain things, sealing the card in the envelope. {Pre- 
tend to write, and seal card in envelope.) I assure 
you there is not a person in the room who knows what 
is written on the card, outside of myself. To remove 
any vestige of doubt or suspicion of trickery any 
persons you name shall be used in this experiment. 
Please select three among you to assist me. (After 
selecting.) Thank you. 

Mrs. , on the card sealed in the envelope I 

wrote a number between one and one thousand. Will 
you kindly concentrate your mind for a moment, and 
when I say "Ready," give me the first number that 
you happen to think of. All right. Concentrate. 
Ready! (Suppose "sixty-six" is given you.) Sixty- 
six, Mrs. ? I see the conditions are very good. 

You thought of just the number I desired you to; 
the number written on the card in the envelope. 
Please keep that in mind. And as a further means of 
verification I will also jot it down on a slip of paper. 
Sixty-six. That's right. 

Now Mrs. , on this card I also wrote one of 

the cardinal colors. I want you to concentrate for 
a second. All right. When I say "Ready" tell me 



WITH PATTER 47 

the first color that comes into your mind. Ready! 
Blue? Very fine. Just what I wanted you to think 
of. Just what I wrote on the card, and which I will 
verify later on. 

Mrs. , I will take you last. On this card is 

also written one of the twelve months of the year. 
Will you, like the others, kindly concentrate, and 
when I say "Ready," give me the month you first 
think of? All right. Ready? June! Just what I 

thought you would say, Mrs. . Just what I 

wanted you to say. Because it is written on the 
card. 

Mrs. , you gave me sixty-six. Mrs. , 

you named blue; and Mrs. , June was the 

month you thought of. Here they are on this mem- 
orandum slip as I took them down, and also I will 
prove to you that they are the identical words I 
caused you to think of; the ones that at the start I 
wrote on this card. ( Open envelope. ) 

Kindly take the card, Madam. What is written at 
the top? "Sixty-six." And you gave me that num- 
ber, Mrs. . On my slip I have "blue," as be- 
ing the color Mrs. thought of. Isn't that the 

color written on the card? Yes, that is correct. For 
the last item my slip shows "June," which is the 
month named by you, Mrs. , is it not? Cor- 
rect. And what did I write on my card, Madam? 
"June?" 

It is a simple matter, when you work with me and 
follow the instructions given, to cause you to think 
along just the lines I desire, isn't it? 



48 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

PARLOR MIND READING. 

Here is a very amusing routine for parlor presen- 
tation and one that will make you a decided attrac- 
tion for the evening. It requires the assistance of 
your wife, your sweetheart or some male friend, and 
the secret collusion of one guest. 

You pass out a number of envelopes and some 
light-weight blank cards, requesting members of 
the audience to write any question they desire, sign 
their name thereto, and seal the cards in the en- 
velopes. Of course one of these envelopes is given 
to the person who is to secretly assist you, and he or 
she writes some question that you have already 
agreed upon, so that you are from the first aware of 
the contents of one of the envelopes. 

While the people are writing their questions, blind- 
fold your assistant with a handkerchief and place her 
at a table at one end of the room, so that the audi- 
ence will be in front of you. Amongst professionals 
it is a well known fact that a bandage over the eyes, 
while not allowing of sight straight ahead, will never- 
theless allow a person to see down the side of the 
nose. So your assistant can read without difficulty 
anything placed near the edge of the table. 

Collect the envelopes from the writers, taking care 
that the known one is either collected last or kept on 
the bottom of the heap. The envelopes are now 
placed on the table, near your assistant. Pick up the 
top one, the contents of which you do not know, hold 
it over your assistant's head and request that she an- 
swer the question. She immediately gives a round- 
about answer to the question previously agreed upon, 
which was written by the guest in the secret, and 
which is now at the bottom of the heap. When the 



■^ 



WITH PATTER 49 



answer is given you ask the person whose name is 
quoted if that answers her or his question, at the 
same time tearing open the envelope and apparently 
reading therefrom the question just answered. In 
reality you are quoting the question at the bottom of 
the heap of envelopes, and secretly reading and mem- 
orizing the one held in your hand. 

Take this card, which you have apparently just 
read aloud, and carelessly lay it on the table, but 
see that it is within your assistant's range of vision. 
She secretly reads the message while you pick up the 
next envelope and hold over her head, and then she 
answers it. You tear open this second message, quot- 
ing the one on table and memorizing the contents of 
one held in your hand. Thus you are always one 
question ahead, and when you come to the final mes- 
sage it will actually be the first one answered, though 
you give a reply to the one just previously laid on the 
table. You start your patter as follows : 

"Ladies and gentlemen : Undoubtedly at some time 
or other you have all witnessed a mind reading act; 
the thought of one person conveyed to another one 
at some distance; or the reading of sealed messages 
by mental concentration on the part of the persons 
concerned. My wife and I discovered, a short time 
ago, that it was sometimes possible for us to receive 
impressions strongly concentrated upon by other per- 
sons present. Therefore, in order that you may keep 
the matter in your mind more firmly, I will ask that 
you write upon these pieces of paper any questions 
you wish, sign your names thereto and seal in the 
envelopes which I will also distribute for your use. 
"The reasons for writing the questions are these: 
That by so doing they will be more firmly impressed 
upon your memory. And I then have the written 



50 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

verification, and you will know that I am actually 
answering a question as propounded by various ones 
present. 

"While you are sealing your questions I will blind- 
fold Mrs. , so that it will be impossible for her 

to see and at the same time will allow her to center 
her thought entirely upon the questions that you are 
thinking of. 

"Kindly hand me your questions. Please concen- 
trate intently for a few seconds upon what you have 
written, which will greatly promote the success of our 
experiment. (Collect the sealed envelopes.) 

"Very well, Madam. Concentrate, and answer the 
question which I hold over your head." 

Your assistant answers along these lines : "Let 
me see. It is a woman asking a question. She wants 
to know if her husband is going to buy her that new 
fur. Mrs. Smith is asking the question. Isn't that 
right, Mrs. Smith? Yes, it will take a little coaxing 
but you will get it eventually." 

Never read the question direct. This savors of 
trickery, while leading up to it indirectly is more apt 
to create the idea of mental impressions being re- 
ceived. The direct reading of a question would tend 
to lead your audience to a suspicion that you had 
seen the message, whereas the contrary is desired. 

You now tear open the envelope, look at the card 
removed therefrom, and pretend to read the question 
which is actually in the envelope at the bottom of the 
heap, and which you know is, "Will my husband buy 
me that new fur?" (Signed) "Mrs.Smith." Place 
this card, which you appear to have just read aloud, 
on the table where your assistant can read it. You 
should memorize it in order that you need not again 



WITH PATTER 51 

glance at the table. But you can safely steal a 
glance should you forget the message. 

Proceed with second envelope, answering the ques- 
tion which actually lies on the table, and so on, 
throughout the entire series. In your answers, en- 
deavor to be entertaining and always give a reply 
that is pleasing to the writer, for this will accord you 
a better reception than in the case of depressing or 
negative replies. 



UNSIGHT, UNSEEN. 



To the average audience the following card effect 
appears to be a feat of divination. It is one of the 
few tricks that can be repeated several times with 
continued mystifying results. 

The effect : The performer lays twenty-eight cards 
face upward on the table, in four rows of seven 
cards each. He turns his back to the cards and re- 
quests some person to think of any one of the fifty- 
two cards in the pack. When the card has been men- 
tally chosen he inquires in which row on the table 
there is a card of the same denomination as that of 
the card thought of. Upon receipt of this informa- 
tion he asks the suit of the card selected. Thereupon, 
without again looking at the cards on the table, he 
immediately names the card thought of. 

The method : The four rows contain cards of cer- 
tain denominations which should be previously ar- 
ranged so that they can be dealt out in this order, or 
at least so that the given cards appear in a given 
row, irrespective of the sequence. The four rows 
should contain cards of the denominations shown in 
Figure 18. 



52 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 



Each row has a "key" number. The key to the 
first row is "one" ; the second row is "two" ; the third 
row is "four," and the fourth row is "eight." To 
illustrate the use of these key numbers, we will as- 
sume that an ace has been chosen. You are told that 



ACE 
3 


JACK 
6 


5 
7 


3 
10 


9 


KING 


7 
2 


JACK 


10 






4| 


KING 


IT 


7 

QUEEN 


Queen 6 


KIN6 

l 8 


JACK 


9 


Iking 


10 


10 



FIGURE 18 



it appears in the first row only. The key is "one." 
Hence it must be one or an ace. If they chose a 
seven, they will report it in the first, second and third 
rows. You add the key numbers. "One" plus "two" 
plus "four" equals seven. The jack is considered 
as eleven, the queen as twelve, and the king as thir- 
teen. 

In order to memorize the arrangement so that 
the cards may be placed in order at any time without 
resorting to the diagram, just remember that the 
first row starts with "one" and the numbers alter- 
nate, thus : 

1—3—5—7—9—11—13. 



WITH PATTER 53 



The second row has "two" as the key card, and the 
cards run in alternate pairs, as follows: 

2,3,— ,—,6,7,— ,—,10,11,10. 

Only six cards are required in this row, so an extra 
ten is added to fill the gap. 

For the third row the key is "four." The first card 
is a four and they run four consecutive numbers, then 
skip four, thus: 

4, 5, 6, 7, — , — , — , — , Q, K, K. 

Only six cards are needed in this row so an extra 
king is added to fill in. 

In the fourth or last row the key is "eight." The 
cards start with an eight and run consecutively, with 
an extra ten added, as the consecutive run ends with 
a king. So the cards in the last row are: 

8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 10. 

As shown in the diagram, the cards in any one row 
may be mixed up, just so they contain the requisite 
denominations to complete your key. 

The cards used in the layout may be of any suits, 
as it is denomination only that is significant. If you 
are told that the card chosen is not represented on the 
table, you know they must be thinking of the joker. 

The Patter: 

I have here a portion of a pack of cards — twenty- 
eight to be exact — which I shall deal on the table in 
four rows, these cards acting as a chart. By using 
this chart and with a little concentration, it is my 
intention to learn the denomination of any card you 
may think of. There are the completed rows, and 
that I may not be accused of detecting your card 



54 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

from their order I will turn my back while you are 
making a selection. 

Mr. , will you kindly select mentally any 

card in the pack? It makes no difference whether it 
is on the table or not. You have one ? Just think of 
it for a moment. And would you mind telling me if 
you see a card of your denomination in the first row? 
It is? How about the second row, is it also there? 
The third row ? Not present ? And it is in the fourth 
row ? Yes ? Thank you. Will you tell me the suit of 
the card you thought of? Spades? Spades; just a 
second. Just concentrate on it. The jack — jack of 
spades. Correct? (Continue, if desired, detecting 
further selections in the same manner. ) 



THE FORTUNE-TELLING JACK. 

This is without doubt the most deceptive and puz- 
zling of the entire category of card effects not requir- 
ing sleight-of-hand, but its effectiveness depends to a 
large extent upon the manner of presentation. 

Any cards can be used, the effect being heightened 
by using a borrowed deck. 

The effect: You borrow a pack of cards from 
your host or hostess, first requesting that they be 
thoroughly shuffled. Another person cuts the cards 
near the center of the deck. You take one half and 
he takes the other, and each one counts his own por- 
tion. Several cards are then drawn by members of 
the audience, and are put in various places out of 
sight so that no one is aware of which cards they are. 
Upon placing the jack of spades, which you remove 
from the pack, near these cards, he apparently whis- 
pers to you the name of each individual one, for you 



^MM 



WITH PATTER 55 

announce the number and suit of the hidden card 
which is found correct in each case. 

The method : The only requisite is your ability to 
memorize quickly from three to five cards in a given 
order. 

Borrow a pack and say that you will remove the 
jack of spades. In seeking the card you naturally 
hold the face of the pack toward yourself. You fan 
the bottom cards slightly, and while locating the j ack 
you memorize several cards at the bottom of the 
pack, starting with the last one, which for conven- 
ience we will say are the ace, two, three and four of 
hearts. Remove the jack of spades and lay it to one 
side. Place the pack on the table and request that it 
be cut. You allow the cutter to retain his half of the 
pack and you take the lower half. Have this person 
count his cards. You do likewise with yours, dealing 
them down on the table one at a time, face down, as 
you count. This reverses their position. When the 
counting is finished place your half on top of the 
other and square the deck. The top card of the 
pack is now the ace of hearts, followed by the two, 
three and four. In other words, the cards you noted 
at the bottom of the pack are, due to reversal in 
counting, now in the same order at the top of the 
pack. 

You request that a card be selected and hid under 
a book, placed in some one's pocket or otherwise con- 
cealed, holding out the pack and slightly pushing off 
the top card. Should a person hesitate about taking 
this card, simply move on to the next one. They do 
not know what you are going to do, and have not 
the slightest idea that you are familiar with the 
position of any of the cards. Having passed out as 



56 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

many cards as you memorized, pick up the jack and 
hold it near where the first card is secreted. Then 
hold it to your ear and state that the jack announces 
this card is the ace of hearts, and so on. 

On paper, the effect may not look so promising, 
but after a trial the results will be more than satis- 
factory. 

The Patter-. 

May I borrow a pack of your cards, Madam? I 
want to illustrate a lesson witnessed by myself last 
week; one demonstrating that inanimate objects have 
the power of thought transmission. I presume this 
appears to you like a foolhardy statement, but let 
the result speak for itself. Thank you for the cards. 
But first will you kindly shuffle them thoroughly? 
That will do nicely. 

I desire to remove the jack of spades from the 
pack, as it is the chief factor in this drama, or what- 
ever you desire to term it. {Remove the jack and 
sight the bottom cards.) And you, sir, kindly cut 
the cards somewhere near the center, and count your 
half down on the table. I will do likewise with these. 
(For instance:) Twenty-three? And I have here 
twenty-nine, making fifty-two, which makes the pack 
complete. (Or, in case the pack is short, say only 
forty-nine cards being therein.) Forty-nine? Well, 
that will be sufficient for our experiment. 

I am now going to ask several of you to each re- 
move a card from the pack. But don't look at it, and 
don't let anyone else see it. And above all things, 
don't let me catch a glimpse of your card. As soon as 
you take the card place it out of sight — under the 
table drape, in your pocket, in the leaves of a book, 
or anywhere you may choose. Will you have one? 



WITH PATTER 57 

Just hide it. That's right. And will you accommodate 
me? (Talk along these lines until the known cards 
have been distributed.) 

Here is the jack of spades, which I previously re- 
moved. He represents the court jester, or fool — but, 
far from being a fool, he is the wisest card in the 
pack, and he is going to communicate to me the 
names of the various members of his family you have 
hidden. (Place jack near concealed card and then 
hold to ear.) 

The jack tells me that this card is a red one — a 
heart — the ace of hearts. Kindly look and see if that 
is correct. It is? You see the jack is not only 
possessed of wisdom, but has keen eyesight as well. 
Now, jack, this card here! He says this is also a 
heart — one with two spots. Therefore, it must be a 
deuce of hearts. Is he correct? Yes, that's right; he 
seldom errs. (Proceed until the others have been lo- 
cated.) 



THE CARD TO THE POCKET. 

Here is an easy and practical method of perform- 
ing a popular effect which heretofore has depended on 
great skill in sleight-of-hand. 

The effect: A spectator takes a pack of cards in 
his hands, shuffles them, counts down a few cards 
from the top of the deck, and notes the number and 
suit of the card at that location. The performer then 
takes the pack, holds it behind his back, and removes 
a card, which he places in his pocket, announcing that 
it is the one chosen. The pack is again handed to the 
spectator, who is asked how many cards down he 
counted. He is then asked to count down to that 
number and see if the card is there. On being in- 



58 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

formed that it is not, the performer remarks that it 
couldn't be, for he placed it in his pocket, whence he 
removes the card, and shows it to be correct. 

The method: This is a simplified procedure that 
does away with palming, and at the same time height- 
ens the effect. After the spectator has counted down 
a certain number, which is done while your back is 
turned, take the pack from him. When it is placed 
behind your back you take off ten or twelve cards, 
holding them tightly together, and place them quick- 
ly in your pocket, not allowing the face card to be 
seen. Apparently you have drawn and pocketed one 
card only. It rarely happens that a person will 
count down more than six or seven cards, but this can 
be judged well enough by the time he takes in count- 
ing. Hand the pack back, asking at what number 
the card was. Your hand now goes into your pocket 
and you count down the given number of cards while 
the spectator is looking for his card. Of course it is 
not now in the deck, but in your pocket. After he 
finds it is not in the deck, take the card clear from 
your pocket and exhibit as the one chosen. Hold the 
pack with the backs upward when taking off the 
cards, put them in your pocket with their faces to- 
ward your body, and count down the given number 
from the top. 

The Patter: 

I claim to be a mind reader, as far as the cards are 
concerned. If you will take the pack and follow my 
directions you can judge for yourself. While I turn 
my back count down a few cards from the top, not 
disturbing their present position, though you may 
shuffle them if you desire before starting. When you 
have counted down a few then look at the card, re- 
membering what card it is, and also do not forget its 



WITH PATTER 59 

position in the pack. Have you done so? Kindly 
allow me to have the pack, which I will place behind 
my back. Without asking you a single question I 
will remove your card and place it in my pocket, 
which I believe will cause you to agree with my state- 
ment so far as mind reading is concerned. 

There is the pack. May I ask at what number your 
card was? The seventh? Count down and see if it is 
now in the seventh position. No? It is not? I 
know it. It couldn't be, because here it is in my 
pocket. The name, please? Six of spades. Correct. 
The six of spades. {Turn face up and exhibit.) 



THE GUESSER. 



Here is a puzzling experiment in which from four 
to seven spectators may participate at one time. It 
is particularly useful in entertaining at parlor gath- 
erings, where all present may be invited to "assist." 

The effect: After allowing the deck to be thor- 
oughly shuffled, the performer fans out a few cards 
and shows them to a spectator, who mentally selects 
a card. The process is repeated several times, show- 
ing a different fan to each spectator. When each has 
thus noted a card in a fan, the cards are disarranged 
so that they form fans of different combinations. 
Simply showing each of the new fans to each of the 
persons in turn and learning whether their card is in 
the fan, without the performer looking at the faces of 
the cards, he "guesses" the ones chosen, and at the 
conclusion of the experiment the cards which he has 
"guessed" to be the ones chosen are proven to be 
correct. 

The method: Although you do not call attention 
to the fact, each fan is made up of the same number 



60 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

of cards as there are people on whom you work the 
trick. Not less than four people should be used, and 
of course it cannot be done with more than seven, as 
that would require forty-nine cards and there are 
only fifty-two in the deck. We will assume that six 
spectators are participating. 

After allowing the deck to be freely shuffled, you 
take up the first six, without seeming intentionally to 
select that number, and hold them up before the first 
party, whom we will call "A." You do not look at 
the faces of the cards yourself now or at any other 
time in the course of the experiment. Fanning the 
six cards, you ask A to mentally note one of them. 
Close the fan and lay it face downward on the table. 
Fan out the next six cards for B, and when he has 
mentally selected one, lay this stack of six next to the 
first six. Continue in the same way until A, B, C, D, 
E and F have each noted a card from a different 
group of cards, and you have the six groups in a 
row on the table, face downward. Lay aside the rest 
of the deck, as you will not use it again. 

Now stack the six groups together in regular or- 
der, with first group on top and last at the bottom. 
Remarking that you will disarrange them to make 
different combinations, lay out the top six (which 
formerly made up one fan ) one at a time, then lay six 
more on top of them, and so on, until you have made 
six fresh stacks. Each of the original fans is now 
represented by some one card in each of the six new 
groups, the original first group being represented by 
the bottom card, the next by the second card, and 
so on. 

Pick up the first pile, fan them and ask A if his 
card is in this new fan. If he says yes, you know it 
must be the bottom card. Whether his reply is affirm- 



WITH PATTER 61 

ative or negative, show this same fan to B and ask 
him if his card is present. If it is, it must be the 
next to the bottom card. Show this fan to each of the 
six in turn. A's card, if present, must be at the bot- 
tom ; B's card must be next to the bottom ; C's card 
third from the bottom, and so on to F's, which must 
be the top card of whatever group it is in. 

Remember, you do not ask them the location. You 
simply ask if their card is in the fan. Perhaps none 
of the chosen cards are in the fan. Perhaps several 
are present. But when the answer is in the affirma- 
tive, you know immediately which card it is, by the 
rotation of the cards in the fan. If all say "No," lay 
this fan aside and fan out the next six. But we will 
assume that A and D say "Yes." You know A's card 
must be at the bottom, and D's must be third from 
the top. Hold the fan behind your back and take 
out these two, laying A's card face downward in an 
imaginary first position on the table, and D's in an 
imaginary fourth position, so that when all six have 
been located they will lie in a row. 

Repeat the process with the remaining cards, 
showing them in fans six at a time, and showing each 
fan to each of the six spectators. Thus you locate 
each of the six cards, "guessing" at them behind your 
back whenever a chosen card is reported present in 
the fan, and laying each chosen card, face downward, 
in its place in the row on the table. 

You finally have six cards in a row. Asking A 
what his card was, and having his reply, you turn 
over the first card, which is his. Repeat with the 
other five. So, without having asked any ques- 
tions as to location, etc., and without seeing the 
faces at any time ? you have apparently selected each 
of the mentally selected cards. Since this trick re- 



62 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

quires neither sleight-of-hand skill nor any prepara- 
tion of the pack, it is highly recommended as an im- 
promptu experiment for the amateur. 

The Patter: 

While I have the cards I will take up a few more 
minutes of your time to demonstrate that sometimes 
it is possible to accomplish a good deal by guesswork. 
Please shuffle the cards thoroughly, and you will no- 
tice that I do not see the faces of the cards at any 
time during the experiment. Thank you. 

Mrs. A , will you kindly make a mental note 

of one card in this fan? And please don't forget it. 

Mr. B , will you likewise remember any one 

of the cards in this second fan? Choose any one, 
but keep the number and suit of your chosen card 

carefully in mind. Miss C , I will ask you 

to make a choice from this third fan, in the same 
way; any card at all. It makes no difference. Mrs. 

D , will you please make a choice, the same 

as the others have done? You will notice that I do 
not ask you to draw a card, or even to touch them, 
so I have no way of knowing what card of the fifty- 
two you are selecting. Mr. E , will you oblige 

in the same way? And, finally, Mr. F , when 

you have noted a card in the last fan we will pro- 
ceed. 

Bear in mind that I have given you {stack the 
six fans for the re-deal) a perfectly free choice in 
each instance. But to relieve any suspicion that I 
might perhaps know what card you selected by 
your glance, I will further mix the cards by dealing 
them out in separate heaps which, as you can readily 
see, changes their positions throughout. 

Once again I shall exhibit these new individual 



WITH PATTER 63 

fans. And, as I display each of them to all of you, 
all I ask is that you tell me whether or not your 
card is in the fan. {Showing a new fan.) Mrs. A 

, does your card appear amongst these ? Don't 

tell me the card, or its position in the fan. It does? 
I thank you. Placing the fan behind my back, my 
guess is {remove bottom card from fan and place on 
table, face downward) that this is your card. Mr. 

B , is your card present? No? And you, 

Miss C ? And how about you, Mrs. D ? 

Yes? Then I will make another guess, and pick 
out this one. {Remove card and lay on table as 
before. Continue with remaining cards until all 
chosen have been "guessed ") 

I have made six guesses, and I have selected the 
six cards now on the table as the ones chosen. And 
you will remember that I have asked no questions as 
to the identity of your cards, nor their location in 
the fans, nor have I seen the faces of the cards at 

any time. Now, Mrs. A , as a matter of 

verification, kindly tell me the name of your card. 
{She replies, for instance, "The ten of diamonds.") 
The ten of diamonds? {Turn over first card.) Well, 
I guessed right that time. I believe you will find the 
remaining guesses equally good. Your card, Mr. 

B ? The four of clubs? {Turn over second 

card, and so on, until all are shown.) 



THE LEMON AND DOLLAR BILL TRICK. 

This highly popular effect has been presented 
with great success in vaudeville for some years. In 
the present version the disagreeable features and 
the necessity for any degree of skill have been elimi- 
nated, without detracting from the effectiveness. 



64 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

The effect: A dollar bill is borrowed and placed 
in an envelope, which is sealed and given to a boy 
from audience, with instructions to burn the envel- 
ope. While he is performing this task you exhibit 
two lemons, go among the audience and have one se- 
lected, leaving the other as a souvenir. Returning to 
the platform or end of the room, inquire of the boy 
whether he burned the envelope. Then ask him 
for the dollar bill. When he confesses the money was 
burned with the envelope, the lemon is cut open and 
the bill is found therein and returned to its owner. 

The method: On the small table or stand which 
you use for your "properties," or articles employed, 
is a book or a cigar box, on top of which is an 
ordinary envelope containing a piece of stage paper 
money; or any slip of green paper will do that at a 
glance resembles a folded bill. Of the two lemons 
used, one is unfaked. The other has a hole punched 
lengthwise with a pencil or small stick, through one 
end and more than half way through the lemon. 

In preparing this lemon, jab the stick around to 
make a fair-sized hole. Then squeeze the lemon to 
rid it of part of the juice. Take a dollar bill, first 
making a note of its serial number, roll it up small 
and insert it in the lemon. Don't use a brand new 
dollar bill, nor a badly worn one. The rest of the 
"props" consist of a saucer, a small bottle of wood 
alcohol, and a few matches. Before starting, memor- 
ize the last two or three numbers of the bill that is in 
the lemon; or the entire number may be written on 
your thumb nail. These preparations are all made, 
of course, secretly and in advance. 

Begin the experiment by borrowing a dollar bill. 



WITH PATTER 65 

If possible, obtain one of the same style as the one in 
the lemon. Only three styles of dollar bills are made, 
most of them being the ones with the eagle on the 
back, or the one with the large cross. If you cannot 
obtain the desired type, however, the difference in 
style will not be noticed. Avoid accepting a new bill 
or a bill that is badly frayed, if you can, for while 
the one from the lemon will be wet, a brand new one 
can be told from a worn article. 

As soon as you receive the bill, ask the lender to 
remember its number, not allowing him to see it, but 
you yourself reading off to him the entire number, 
or the last two numerals. Of course you look at the 
bill, but you really quote the numbers of your own 
bill, not his. Fold up this borrowed bill rather small, 
pick up the envelope from the table, and in the act 
of so doing allow the borrowed bill to fall behind 
the book or box on the table, while apparently plac- 
ing it inside the envelope. 

Get a boy from the audience to assist you and, 
just before sealing, take the fake bill out of the en- 
velope and immediately replace it. Seal the envelope 
and instruct the boy to burn it. 

Pick up the lemons from the table, holding one in 
either hand, and resting the tampered end against 
the ball of the thumb so it will appear to be an or- 
dinary lemon. "Force" the unfaked lemon as shown 
in the patter. Returning to the boy, ask him for the 
bill. Then cut open the faked lemon, making the in- 
cision near the center and of course holding the open 
end away from the audience. When the lemon is cut 
in two the bill should adhere to the good end, if it has 
been shoved far enough into the lemon, so the open 
end may be thrown aside on the table. 



66 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

The Patter: 

Not being a regular magician, I do not carry my 
own apparatus. Therefore, I am forced to borrow. 
In this instance I would like to borrow a dollar bill — 
a second-hand one will do just as well as a new one. 
I haven't any of my own. And I'd rather take a 
chance with yours, anyway. (If a brand new bill is 
offered you:) Thank you, sir, but I hate to take such 
a nice, crisp new bill from a man on payday, when I 
don't know what's going to happen to it. Haven't 
you a bill that wouldn't mind a few hard knocks? 
(Or, if bill offered is too badly worn:) This one is 
pretty far gone. I really hate to be responsible for 
it, because I might not be able to save the pieces. 
How about one with a little more endurance ? 

A kind-hearted gentleman who thinks I look hon- 
est lends me a dollar — without interest. See how easy 
it is when you know how. Making the "buck" into 
small change. (Fold once.) Four bits. (Fold 
again.) Two bits, which we will deposit — not in a 
bank but in this envelope, leaving it here for a few 
minutes. 

Now, then, I want to borrow a boy. Young man, 
will you come up and help me? That's right. I'm 
perfectly harmless. Thank you. What's your name, 
Johnnie? (Keep on calling him "Johnnie" regard- 
less of his name.) All right, Johnnie, I'm going to 
let you hold this money. Just hold it — that's all. 
How does it feel to be a capitalist? Do me another 
favor. Here is a saucer, on the saucer is the envelope, 
and to facilitate the action I will add a little alcohol. 
Follow my instructions carefully : Take this match, 
place the saucer over on that stand, and burn the 
envelope, while I visit the audience again. (Take 
up lemons.) 



WITH PATTER 67 



Quite a curiosity, two imported lemons. Yes, they 
are; I got them from abroad. Any good judges of 
lemons present? Will you, little girl, choose one of 
these? This one? I thank you, we will use the one 
you selected. You can have the other for a souvenir. 
You might call that handing you a lemon, but I 
don't mean it in that way. (Or if they choose the 
unprepared one.) All right, you may keep it as a 
souvenir. I'll use the one remaining. 

Here we are, Johnnie. Did you burn the envelope ? 
You did? Make a good job of it? Fine! Let me 
have the dollar bill, please. What's that? You 
burned it? I didn't tell you to burn the bill. I said 
to burn the envelope. That money belongs to the 
gentleman over there. (This argument may be short- 
ened or lengthened to suit the occasion and the type 
of audience.) 

What are we going to do about it? Have you a 
dollar? No? Neither have I. You'll surely have to 
help me now. Hold the saucer containing the ashes 
over your head, close your left eye, look sharply at 
the lemon, and say, real loud: "Lemon, lemon" — no, 
we've had enough lemons hanging around. Say, 
"Dollar, dollar, hop into the lemon !" That's the 
way. If you are a good magician perhaps we saved 
ourselves some money. Let's see. 

I believe you did it. Our magic worked. There's 
something in the lemon. Yes, it's a dollar. You take 
it back to the man. Wring it out first if you want to. 
Make yourself some lemonade. 



68 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

BURLESQUE MIND READING. 

In the presentation of the following comedy act, 
for those who are willing to expend a little time and 
money, the outfitting of the "Prince" in befitting uni- 
form or costume will add considerable mystery and 
amusement. 

This act can be presented in the parlor, at clubs, 
or at any character of social or community gather- 
ings, either by two men or by a man and a woman. 

It seems hardly necessary to say that if the act is 
started off in all seriousness, the attention of your 
audience will be more centered, and the direct cueing 
of the first one or two questions will not be noticeable. 
Various questions and answers can be worked out 
along these lines to suit the occasion. Keep the 
questions and answers going in rapid-fire fashion. 

In the dialogue, the questions asked by the "pro- 
fessor" in the audience, and his remarks, are designed 
by the letter "Q." The replies of the "Prince" are 
preceded by the letter "A." 

The Patter: 

Ladies and gentlemen: It is with great pleasure 
this evening that I introduce to you the world's 
greatest master of thought transference — a man with 
a brain of such mental magnitude and wonderful de- 
velopment that the slightest thought is instantly 
transmitted and registered in his mind — the man to 
whom the ordinary human brain is like an open book. 
During our experiments I have to request that you 
remain as quiet as possible, in order that the proper 
psychic conditions may prevail. Ladies and gentle- 
men — Prince Sapolio! {The "Prince" enters.) 

I shall now attempt to verify the truth of my as- 
sertions, convincing even the most skeptical. I shall 



WITH PATTER 69 



pass down among you, allowing those who so desire 
to ask a question of any nature, or to hand me ar- 
ticles of various kinds. The Prince will immediately 
and correctly answer such questions or describe the 
designated objects. 

In order to relieve suspicion that any signals are 
employed, or that the Prince might catch a glimpse 
of the articles, I shall first securely blindfold him. 
(Seat the "Prince" in chair and blindfold him, facing 
the audience. Don't give persons a chance to really 
ash any questions. Invent them as you go along.) 
Are you ready, Prince? All right. 

Q. — Don't let me stick you. What's this? 

A. — A stick pin. 

Q. — Quite correct. 

Q. — What has this man on his head? 

A. — Hair. 

Q. — Correct again. 

Q. — What has this party on his feet? 

A. — Shoes. 

Q. — Marvellous. Now, tell me, is this a male or 
female ? 

A. — You mean whether it is a man or woman? 

Q. — Yes. Is he a man or a woman? 

A. — A man. 

Q. — Fine, fine. 

Q. — Look here, what is this? 

A. — An ear. 

Q. — Right you are. How many ears has the little 
boy? 

A.— Two. 

Q. — Right again. Now, what's the matter with his 
ears ? 

A. — -They need washing. 



70 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

Q. — Once more ; tell me the color of this lady's hair. 
Hurry up. This is a hot one. 
A.— Red. 
Q. — Correct. The Prince never fails. 

Q. — A lady desires to know when the two-forty- 
five train leaves for {nearby town) ? 

A. — At fifteen minutes to three. 
Q. — Absolutely correct. 

Q. — Watch out, now. What is this? 
A. — A watch. 

Q. — Very good. Tell me what kind of watch it is? 
A. — It's a Jewish watch. 

Q. — A Jewish watch? How do you make that out? 
A. — Because its hands are always moving. 
Q. — A gentlemen hands me a coin. Can you tell 
me the value of this four-bit piece? 
A. — Yes, I can. Fifty cents. 

Q. — What has this man around his neck? 

A. — A necktie. 

Q. — You are doing fine, Prince. 

Q. — How many fingers is the lady holding up? 
Hurry up. I don't want to ask you over three times. 
A.— Three. 
Q. — Not so good. 

Q. — Prince, tell me : What is this gentleman's oc- 
cupation ? 

A. — That gentleman is a carpenter. 

Q. — A carpenter? How do you make that out? 

A. — Because he has two bits in his pocket. 

Q. — And this gentleman's occupation? 

A. — He is a fruit specialist. 

Q. — And what makes you think that? 

A. — Look at the "peach" he has with him. 



WITH PATTER 71 

Q. — That's right. Tell me what this man does. 
A. — That man is a florist. 
Q. — I don't see how you figure that out. 
A. — Haven't you noticed him eyeing up the "dais- 
ies" all evening? 

Q. — All right, Prince. I know you never make mis- 
takes, so tell me what this gentleman does for a liv- 
ing. 

A. — He is an electrician. 

Q. — Your reason for such assertion? 

A. — I can read his mind and his thoughts shock 
me. 

Q. — Hurry up, Prince. How much money has this 
young lady in her pocketbook? 

A. — The young lady has 63 cents in her pocket- 
book — but that isn't all the money she has with her. 

Q. — Listen. What is on this lady's finger? 
A. — A ring. 

Q. — Right you are. What kind of a ring has this 
married lady? 

A. — A wedding ring. 

Q. — This young man says he is going to give his 
girl a present for her birthday. Tell me what it is. 
A. — I don't seem to get that. 
Q. — Come on — a present — something for her neck. 
A. — Oh ! A bar of soap. 

Q. — What has this young lady in her hand? 
A. — Her sweetheart's hand — or she did have, a 
moment ago. 

Q. — Now, as a supreme test of the Prince's unfail- 
ing accuracy, I am going to ask some person in the 
back of the hall to remove a coin from his pocket, 



72 IMPROMPTU MAGIC _ 

look at the date, and keep the coin securely out of 
sight. (In the meantime you return to the plat- 
form.) Prince, a gentleman in the back of the hall 
is holding in his hand a coin. Will you tell me the 
date? 

A. — August 1st, 19 — . (Mention the day of the 
month and year of your entertainment.) 



BODY AND HAT LOADING. 

As the average beginner in magic generally wishes 
to be able to extract articles from a borrowed hat or 
from the person of a voluntary assistant, and as this 
is always an amusing stunt, suitable for all occasions, 
and easy of execution, it is explained herewith in 
order that the beginner may create comedy upon the 
completion of some of the tricks previously ex- 
plained. 

If a person has been assisting you m a card trick 
reach under his coat before dismissing him and pro- 
cure a number of cards. This is accomplished by 
what the card manipulator terms "palming." If a 
pack of cards be held in the right hand, thumb on 
one end and fingers on the other, so that the entire 
pack is covered with the hand, and the pack is then 
transferred to the left hand, which riffles the cards 
before taking actual hold of them, this riffling will 
cause a number of the top cards to spring up against 
the palm of the right hand, where they can be re- 
tained by a slight contraction. The right hand is 
immediately inserted under the volunteer's coat and 
the cards are produced fanwise to make the produc- 
tion seem greater. Again, the cards may be tucked 
up close to the volunteer's armpit under the coat, 



WITH PATTER 73 



where they will remain without falling. The per- 
former "finds" only one card, leaving the balance 
"planted." From this position they may then be pro- 
duced one at a time. 

While attention is being drawn to this removal of 
cards with the right hand, your left hand may ob- 
tain from under the vest any small collapsible article, 
such as a string of sausages, colored silk handker- 
chiefs, etc., and these deliberately removed and like- 
wise inserted under the volunteer's coat, to be pro- 
duced in their turn. 

When a performer removes larger objects, such as 
live stock, etc., it is accomplished in the following 
manner : The articles are concealed in a large pocket 
in the left-hand inner side of your coat. After "find- 
ing" some small articles, such as cards, in a spec- 
tator's clothing, ask him if he has anything else con- 
cealed about his person, at the same time turning 
him around so his back is toward the audience, and 
telling him in an undertone to hold his coat open, 
this acting as a shield to your movements. Stand 
up close to him, bringing your "load" out of your 
inner coat pocket with your right hand and quickly 
getting it into position under his opened coat. Have 
him release his coat, then reach down back of his 
neck under his coat, and pull out whatever you have 
just "planted" therein. 

Loading articles into a hat can be accomplished in 
various ways. It is well to practice hat loading and 
body loading before a mirror, in order that the 
proper angles may be obtained. 

A load into a hat may be achieved by any of the 
following methods : 

Under your vest have a few handkerchiefs that are 



74 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

rolled up tightly into a ball. Borrow a hat. Show 
it back and front. Then, when the crown is toward 
the audience, bring the hat close to your body. Un- 
der its cover secure the vest load, and drop it into 
the hat. 

The load may be hanging back of your table by a 
fine wire that is looped and is pinned at the top of 
the table. Show the hat empty and hit the brim light- 
ly on the table, immediately over where load is hang- 
ing. Your first finger engages in the loop and draws 
up the load so it can be tilted into the hat. 

The load can be hanging on a thread and hung out 
about a foot behind your table by means of a small 
stick fastened thereto. In passing behind the table, 
the hat scoops up the load, breaking the thread. The 
hat is at once tilted so the contents cannot be seen. 
This method of loading may also be accomplished 
by using a solid-backed chair instead of a table. 

After you have introduced a small load of silk 
handkerchiefs into a hat, additional articles may be 
dumped in after taking out the load, by laying the 
produced articles down on the table, getting hold of 
the second load hung on the back of table and appar- 
ently showing that the silks fill the hat, placing the 
first articles back therein, and at the same time intro- 
ducing the second load, which is hidden by the silks. 

If you are using your own hat, try this. Cut off 
the brim of an old black derby hat and insert the bowl 
or crown in another hat. Have this inserted hat come 
to within a couple of inches of the top of the crown 
of the good derby, leaving between the two crowns 
a space sufficient for storing quite a number of silk 
handkerchiefs. This inserted bowl should be slit 
crosswise, so that the fingers can reach thereunder 
and take hold of the handkerchiefs inside the par- 



WITH PATTER 75 

tition. In using a hat of this character it can be 
shown from all sides, the hand being inserted with- 
out a false move, and a number of silks produced. 
Additional loads may be secured from the table under 
cover of the first production. 



PALMING 

In the repertoire of tricks which have been herein 
explained the necessity for specialized skill, or actual 
sleight-of-hand, has been practically eliminated. 
However, a fundamental knowledge of palming is 
desired by even the beginner in magic, and this 
knowledge, after some practice, can often be used to 
enhance the effect in presenting some small pocket 
trick, as well as being essential to further advance 
in the art. 

Palming is the foundation of sleight-of-hand, be 
it with cards, coins, billiard balls or other small ob- 
jects. To palm means to conceal in the hand, un- 
noticed by the audience, any small article that is 
being used by the conjurer. 

Palming is a difficult task, in one sense, yet it is 
not nearly so difficult as is imagined by the unin- 
formed. The trouble with the average beginner is 
that when he tries to palm an article he cramps his 
hand to an unnecessary degree. And even when he 
has mastered the correct position, he is painfully 
conscious of the fact that he is palming an article 
and he imagines that the audience is also aware of 
it. With this self-consciousness, proper misdirection 
is impossible. 

The actual holding of the article in the hand is 
the least part of palming. The real art is in re- 



76 



IMPROMPTU MAGIC 



taining the article naturally while the other hand 
is performing some duty to divert the attention of 
the audience, thus giving the necessary misdirection. 
For example, let us assume that you have a bil- 
liard ball which is to vanish from the left hand and 
be found in the right-hand trousers pocket. You 
pick up the ball with your right hand and apparently 
place it in the left hand. In reality you push it 
down into the palm of the right hand, out of sight 
of the audience (see Figure 19), while the left hand 




IDE 

Hand 
That the 
Audience Sees 



Position op 
Carp When 
Palmed in Hand 



Bali or 
Small Object 
By Slight 
.of muscles of palm 

FIGURE 19 



closes as if containing the ball and moves away from 
the right hand. If this move is properly made, the 
eyes of the spectators will follow the left hand, 
thinking it contains the ball, and the right hand will 
lose their attention. You should aid the misdirec- 
tion by holding your left hand in exactly the posi- 
tion that it would take if it really contained the ball, 
and fixing your own attention on it, absolutely ig- 
noring your right hand wherein the ball is palmed. 



WITH PATTER 77 

Now you squeeze your left hand slowly as though 
the ball is vanishing into thin air, and explaining 
that the ball which has just been seen to vanish 
from the left hand has travelled invisibly into 
the trousers pocket, you casually reach into your 
pocket with your right hand, introducing the palmed 
ball therein and immediately bringing it forth, hold- 
ing it between your finger tips. 

This is just one example of the function of palm- 
ing, but it serves to bring out the point to be em- 
phasized. That is, the performer must pay abso- 
lutely no heed to the hand wherein the object is 
palmed. He must carry out the idea that it is held 
in the other hand, or otherwise misdirect the atten- 
tion of the spectators if the object has been secretly 
palmed for the purpose of producing later in any 
manner. Do not look at the palming hand, and do 
not cramp it unnecessarily. These precautions are 
essential to misdirection in palming. 

Applying the art of palming to cards, let us as- 
sume that you wish to secretly remove the top card 
from the deck. Hold the pack in the right hand, 
with the thumb at one end of the pack and the 
fingers at the other. Transfer the pack to the left 
hand, which takes it with the fingers underneath 
and the thumb on top. In taking the pack, the 
thumb of the left hand slips the top card sidewise 
(or endwise, if more convenient) far enough for the 
right hand to take hold of it by slightly contract- 
ing. With the top card thus secretly removed and 
palmed in the right hand (see Figure 19), the left 
hand moves away with the pack while the right hand 
is dropped casually at the side. The pack can now 
be "riffled" with the left hand and the card produced 



78 IMPROMPTU MAGIC 

from the knee with the right hand, or the palmed 
card may be "found" in any manner that the experi- 
ment requires. If it is desired to produce a fan 
of cards, several cards instead of one are shoved up 
into the palm at the moment of transferring the 
pack, and they may be produced from the elbow 
or out of the air. By spreading them fanwise at 
the moment of producing them, a few cards will ap- 
pear to be a very large handful. 

Figure 19 will give a general idea of the principle 
of palming. In each case of course the back of the 
hand is supposed to be toward the audience. Al- 
ways bear in mind that the hand should not be con- 
tracted any more than is necessary to retain the 
object, and should not appear cramped. Neither 
should the hand be stretched out stiff nor the fingers 
widely separated, as this is equally sure to cause 
suspicion. 

The best way to study palming is to practice in 
front of a mirror. If you are going to palm a ball 
in the right hand while seeming to take it in the left, 
actually make the transfer first and study the posi- 
tion of the hands. Then perform the palm and fake 
transfer, simulating the natural positions as you have 
observed them. Pretend to yourself, just as you will 
pretend to the audience, that the palming hand is 
empty. And never forget that in palming or in any 
other branch of sleight-of-hand, adroitness or skill in 
itself is not enough. Beside dexterity, you need per- 
fect ease and self-assurance, and these come only 
with practice and experience. 

And now the author makes his bow, with the hope 
that this book will be the means of enabling many a 
beginner in magic to acquire that selfsame practice 



WITH PATTER 79 

and experience without having first to serve a long 
apprenticeship before appearing in public. Skill 
and dexterity in real sleight-of-hand should come all 
the more easily for having mastered these easy ef- 
fects in Impeomptu Magic, with Pattee. 

Finis. 



How To Chalk Talk 



By HARLAN TARBELL 




npHE person who can do a chalk 
■*■ talk stunt is always in demand 
as an entertainer. Most people 
think that the lightning artist has a 
special gift unattainable to the av- 
erage mortal. The truth is that 
knowing how counts more for suc- 
cess than natural genius. 

We have here a complete presen- 
tation- of the theory and practice 
of this fascinating form of enter- 
tainment, including a discussion of 
the principles of chalk talking, ma- 
terials and equipment required, how to arrange a pro- 
gram, color pictures, facial expressions, various kinds 
of trick pictures, including evolution and upside-down 
pictures, landscapes, turning names into faces, dot 
pictures, famous characters, seasonable pictures, clos- 
ing pictures. 

There are fifty-two full-page original illustrations 
showing just how the crayon pictures are started and 
completed. A great many of the subjects are humor- 
ous. These drawings have been chosen by the author 
from among the most popular items of his own pro- 
grams, which he has found by experience to be 
sure-fire. 

Humorous patter, or talk, is also included for de- 
livery while making the various drawings. Guided 
by this book, any amateur entertainer with an artistic 
bent should make rapid progress as a chalk talker. 



Attractively bound in art boards and well 

printed on good paper, with novel cover design. 

Price, £1.00 



T. S. Denison 8C Company, Publishers 



623 South Wabash Avenue 



CHICAGO 



Chalk Talk Stunts 



By HARLAN TARBELL 




w: 



'HERE to find plenty of grood 
chalk talk pictures is the first 
(and last) worry of the chalk 
talk entertainer. Once he has 
established his popularity in his 
own community and his lecture en- 
gagements begin to multiply, he 
must be constantly replenishing his 
stock of platform material. 

For chalk talking, as an avoca- 
tion of considerable financial profit, 
is constantly growing in popularity 
and is being utilized by many 
classes of people. Lecturers and 
sales managers find it easier to 
drive home their points by means 
of pictures than by the written and the printed word. 
To meet the needs of all such entertainers and in- 
structors, this volume has been prepared. It con- 
tains a great abundance and variety of entertainment 
material for the chalk-talk artist. After a few prac- 
ticable suggestions for preparing a chalk talk, comes 
a succession of pictures with a punch — fifty- five of 
them, each presented in a full-page illustration — 
drawn largely from the author's own extensive experi- 
ence as a chalk-talk entertainer. With each picture 
goes a full line of "patter" in snappy prose or verse, 
together with valuable Instructions on the art of mak- 
ing the crayon keep pace with the "patter." 

Among the novelty stunts are: the lazy man's chalk 
talk; a novelty telephone stunt; and various clever 
pictures evolved from chance combinations of a circle, 
a triangle, and a square. There are also a section 
devoted to evolution and upside-down pictures, and 
another section of comical drawings giving the dough- 
boy's impressions of the funny side of life in war-time 
Prance. Everything is made simple and easy for the 
amateur platform artist. 

Attractively bound In art boards and well 

printed on good paper, with novel cover design. 

Price, $1.00 

T. S. Denison 8C Company, Publishers 

623 South Wabash Avenue CHICAGO 



CRAZY STUNTS 



By HARLAN TARBELL 




A ] 



ND now comes just the book 
to satisfy the widespread de- 
mand for all kinds of comical 
stunts — just the thing to put punch 
into a minstrel show, revue, or 
vaudeville act, or to brighten up an 
evening of home entertainment. 
The majority of the twenty-six 
stunts described in this volume be- 
long to a species of so-called 
hokum acts derived from the professional stage and 
handed down through several generations of actors. 
About these acts very little has ever been written. 
Every act and trick in this collection is a sure-fire 
laugh producer, from the endman's goldfish eating 
stunt to the magical lie detector and the traveling 
coins. Every stunt is explained in such careful detail 
that it may be easily mastered by the most inexperi- 
enced amateur, if properly rehearsed. The descriptions 
are made doubly effective by the aid of 40 illustra- 
tions, all rich in suggestions on "how to do it." All 
the stunts are at bottom simple, no matter how com- 
plicated they may appear, and call for stage properties 
which are, in the main, inexpensive and easy of access. 

Attractively bound in art boards and well 

printed on good paper, with novel cover design. 

Price, #1.00 

T. S. Denison 8C Company, Publishers 

623 South Wabash Avenue CHICAGO 



